National-level coaching camp of water sports being held in Srinagar

A national-level water sports coaching camp with emphasis on canoeing and kayaking is being organised at the Dal Lake for training players of the country for the pre-Olympics.

A national-level water sports coaching camp with emphasis on canoeing and kayaking is being orgsed at the Dal Lake for training players of the country for the pre-Olympics.

Water sports, including kayaking and canoeing, are popular in European countries and Kashmir is the only place where the climatic conditions and water bodies are equal to that of Europe. With the advantage of suitable weather conditions and a world-famous water body, Dal Lake authorities took the initiative to orgse the national level water sports coaching camp aimed to train players.

"Dal lake is very famous around the world, and there are so many things which can help us in our training and gain achievements. Basically, it (kayaking and canoeing) is a European sport which is very famous in Europe, and the weather in Srinagar is mostly the same as in the other European country. So practicing here adds to our strength," said Namita, a player from Madhya Pradesh.

"We are happy that we are here for the national team and we hope that in the future too, we get opportunities to participate in such camps. If we wish to perform our best at the international level then it is a golden opportunity for us to prepare ourselves here," she added.

Around 24 players from different states of the country -- including Madhya Pradesh, Mpur, Kerala, Bhopal, and others -- participated with full spirit.

The participants are hopeful that with the help of good equipment and proper coaching from international water sports coach Bilquis, they will perform very well in the pre-Olympic round which will be held in Pattaya Thailand.

"We got trained at a high altitude, also the water here is hard, practicing in such water is beneficial for us. The water in Pattaya Thailand, where the pre-Olympic round will be orgsed, is light and since we got trained in hard water, it will benefit us," said another player.

"I have been in this field for 35 years and for the last 12 years, I'm training the players for canoeing and kayaking. Training in a high-altitude region helps the players to gain strength for competing with other countries who get trained in the same environment," said PK Baroi, national coach of canoeing.

( With inputs from ANI )